I'm BAA-AACK! Yeah, yeah, I know….finally. I figure since my last chapter I've graduated college, took the mandatory post-college trip to New Orleans, saw, nay, participated in my first Jimmy Buffet concert, learned to kayak, and started my first real-live archaeology job. Yay! Unfortunately, I didn't seem to have any time to write story chapters. Boo! Anyhoo, I'm back, and unless Fanficnet goes down again I hope to have these to you every other week or so, depending on what I get written on the weekends. And 'Thanks!' to all those lovely new people who have reviewed the story--and not one of them a flame! Woo-hoo! So, to ensure that there isn't a flame outbreak, here's the next chapter. Hope it was worth the wait! ~8]
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Disclaimers: It's been awhile, and you may have forgotten, so see Previous Chapter…snicker
Chapter 20: Patience
Ron rubbed irritably at his sore eyes as he and the other three Gryffindors continued to walk onward through the seemingly never-ending tunnel, the light atop the wand held before him piercing the obsidian darkness surrounding them. With a heavy sigh did Ron pause momentarily, holding the lit wand near his watch in order to better read the position of its hands in the unearthly glow.
It would be daybreak soon.
As he and the others silently retraced their route back through the winding passages of the guarded tunnel, the youngest of the present Weasleys couldn't help but think about just how much had changed over the past week's time. Only days before had he threatened Malfoy more seriously than he had anyone in his entire life, and now he was an accomplice to his rescue, of all things, doing his best to make sure the Slytherin was alive and well when they eventually returned to the Infirmary. And it had only been but a few hours ago that Harry had been taken from them, now presently somewhere unknown to his closest friends and perhaps even his Headmaster, probably being tortured from his very life.
Even though he hated to think on it, Ron had no real choice but to let his mind wander there, as nothing else at the moment chose to infiltrate his thoughts. A voice from behind soon saved him from enacting another horrible scenario in his mind.
"You realize that one of us has to go tell Snape about this," Hermione suggested, "he is the head of Draco's House, after all. I think it'd be best if we split up, so none of us has to face him alone."
Ron nodded affirmatively without losing cadence. "That's an excellent idea, Hermione." Before anyone else could respond, he quickly called, "Not it."
Hermione soon followed suit, declaring herself to be "Not it."
Stifling their smiles, they then heard two loud sighs from behind, followed by a "Bloody hell!" from one of the twins, Hermione wasn't quite sure which.
"Every time he gets us, Fred, every time," George mused aloud.
No sooner had the impromptu decision been made when the four Gryffindors came upon the dimly flickering torch light which heralded the beginning of the tunnel.
Ron rubbed at his eyes again as they began to adjust to the light, picking up his pace as he caught sight of the tunnel's makeshift entrance. First extinguishing the light on his wand, he climbed up onto the fallen rocks that served as footstools in order to climb through the hole once more, silently praying that Tasso had left for the evening. Jumping through to the other side, Ron did a quick search of the area for the decrepit and slightly bothersome knight.
Off to his left did Ron hear the sharp scraping of rusted metal coming to life, but only for an instant. Somehow, even though the knight possessed no body to speak of any longer, Tasso had managed to lay himself down and fall asleep, shifting ever so slightly in his rest. As a silent sigh of relief escaped Ron, he quickly turned back to the entrance hole to help Hermione through. Hermione gave him a curious look as he pressed a finger to his lips as a forewarning to keep silent, and understood only as she climbed down from the jumble of rocks beneath her feet and looked over to see the knight's statue dozing soundly.
Fred and George followed next, and their realization upon seeing the napping knight was followed by a silently mimicked high-five in the air. They quickly caught up with Hermione and Ron, who were safely waiting in the next hallway over. What neither Gryffindor nor Slytherin saw, however, was the magickal realigning of the bricks following their departure, Tasso standing up with a tired yawn as he once again took his place in front of the bricked-up passageway.
Upon meeting back up with Ron and Hermione, George crossed his arms and sighed. "I don't suppose there's anyway to change your minds about this, is there? We could work out a deal, you know, like twenty shares of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes stock, apiece, mind you--"
Ron shook his head slowly, grinning. "Not for all the galleons in the world, George. Sorry, it's a done deal."
"Oh, well," Fred replied, "at least we haven't the responsibility of carting 'bug-boy' here to the Infirmary. You two'll surely be on Santa's Naughty Boys and Girls list for carrying this one out."
Hermione smiled with a roll of her eyes before she turned and began to walk down the hallway. "Be careful, you two," she called over her shoulder with Ron at her heels, "you're going to need it!" A mumbled response, no doubt a snide one, came from the elder Weasleys as they headed in the other direction. It was heard by neither Ron nor Hermione, however, as they raced towards the Infirmary, Draco still unconscious in the palm of Hermione's hand.
* * * * * *
Alone in his cell, Harry sat huddled in one of its corners, knees drawn tightly to his chest by the arms that encircled them. His head pounded furiously from Voldemort's earlier contact, his scar now painfully sensitive to even the slightest of proddings. With his chin nestled just below his knees, Harry's eyes peeked over the tops of them as he stared unblinking at the entrance to his prison. He knew Voldemort would soon come back for him, only to torture him endlessly until Harry finally lie dead at the Dark Lord's feet. Until that happened did Harry chew on his lower lip in anxiety, his eyes wide as he kept a vigilant watch on the cell's large wooden door.
Harry couldn't forget the Dark Lord's words or the choice he had been propositioned with. Had Voldemort the power to do what he had promised would forever be a mystery to Harry, although even he couldn't deny the solidity of his mother's hand when he touched it, or that of his father's when it reached to embrace him. That which terrified the young wizard the most, however, was not the possibility that Voldemort might have actually been telling the truth, but the decision he would have made if the Dark Lord had displayed proof of his claims.
As fresh tears threatened to invade Harry's already cloudy eyes, he quickly dashed the thoughts from his head, blinking his vision clear. Even though Voldemort had removed the 'Ennervate Infinitus' he had cast on Harry, the young man was too terrified to fall asleep, wary of being caught off guard by another Death Eater should he rest his eyes for even a moment's time. He instead opted to remain gnawing on his lip as he kept an apprehensive eye on the cell door, his scar continuing to burn furiously all the while.
* * * * * *
Seated behind her desk in the morning stillness of the Hospital Wing, Poppy Pomfrey wiped a thumb across the face of her watch, wiping clear the smudge of ointment which had somehow managed to deface the small oval of glass during the night. It was nearly eight a.m, and on a normal morning she would have just been arriving to her post, a cup of fresh brewed tea and the previous day's edition of The Daily Prophet at her side.
As things would have it, however, it most certainly had not been a normal night, due to the sudden disappearances of Draco Malfoy and the Potter boy. Minerva had seem quite distressed as she relayed the news to the nurse in her quarters, and since then neither she nor any of the other staff members had gotten a wink more of sleep. And they wouldn't, as long as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was a concern.
Poppy rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes, taking a sip of the tea she had brewed sometime in the night. A quick taste of the tepid brown liquid was all that the nurse needed to confirm that it had most definitely overstayed its welcome. Setting her already worn copy of The Daily Prophet aside, she scooted her chair from the desk, set on brewing something more decent for her to drink. No sooner had she stood up when the Infirmary doors flew open, and in ran Potter's friends towards the nearest bed.
She sighed heavily as they talked urgently to one another, carefully placing whatever the young witch had been holding in the center of the bed. From across the room, the nurse couldn't believe her eyes. Surely they can't be serious…
"Mr. Weasley," Madame Pomfrey said with another tired sigh, "I thought you had finally rid yourself of that tattered old rat of yours. Perhaps ten years ago I might have been able to do something for it, but I guarantee you that there's nothing I can do for it now--"
Having been ignored completely, Poppy watched as the Gryffindor girl stood back and withdrew her wand. With an urgent flick and a command of "Reducio!" did the boy's 'rat' suddenly swell in size, and it was then that Madame Pomfrey gave a startled cry with the realization that it was not a rat at all which now occupied the bed, but the missing Slytherin boy.
"You children will be the death of me yet," the nurse muttered as she hurried to the bedside, the removal of the tepid tea quite suddenly pushed to the bottom of her 'To-Do' list.
"Would someone like to explain to me what's going on here?" Poppy asked as she approached the three.
"Draco was missing," Ron began in a rush of words, "so Dumbledore sent us to find him while he looked for Harry."
"While who looked for Harry?" the nurse queried. "Dumbledore or--?"
"Yes," Hermione answered curtly, "Harry had hid Draco in one of the guarded tunnels along the main corridor--"
"--Only it wasn't really Harry, but his double," Ron interrupted, "and so Dumbledore sent us to find him--"
"--Malfoy, that is. Both Harrys were already missing," Hermione further explained, "so Dumbledore asked us to find--"
"--Mr. Malfoy. That I understand," the nurse sighed wearily, "but why are there two Harrys, and how are you sure they're not one in the same--"
"--Because one is his doppleganger," Ron said exasperated, "and we think the real Harry is with You-Know-Who."
"You mean…He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Pomfrey said quietly.
Hermione nodded sadly. "Right. He's with Voldemort."
Pomfrey sighed, shaking her head. She then made a motion with her hands as if clearing the air. "Alright. You two," she said, pointing individually at Ron and Hermione, "are to go back to your dormitories and at least try and get some rest. I imagine you children must be exhausted by now." When neither Gryffindor complained as they usually did when being ushered out of the Infirmary, she moved closer to the bedside. "And while you're resting, I'll try my best to fix Mr. Malfoy here up and have him returned to his classes as good as new." As she spoke she glanced the boy over, whose complexion looked more sallow than usual, the sounds of his breathing more shallow than Pomfrey would have liked.
When neither child moved, Poppy placed a hand on each of their shoulders, giving them a gentle push as she lead them towards the exit. "Everything is going to be alright," she said softly, ignoring the looks of doubt in her charges' countenances, "if you fear the worst, then only the worst will happen. Trust me."
With that both Hermione and Ron gave a small smile, exiting into the hallway as the nurse rushed to her lone patient's bedside. The Infirmary doors shutting soundly behind them, Ron rolled his eyes. "As if I could sleep even if I wanted to."
"You're telling me," Hermione agreed. She then glanced over her shoulder for a last look through the small window in the Hospital door. "I really do hope he's going to be alright. I wonder if Snape's on his way?"
"We could always check," Ron suggested, pulling out the Marauder's Map, "so we could make sure to go the other way."
Hermione gave a small laugh, nodding. "Exactly. Let's see it."
Holding the Map before him, Ron quickly spotted the Potions Master, who was swiftly approaching from another direction. He laughed when he also noticed Fred and George's names trailing behind him, though keeping their distance. "There he is, right there. See 'im?" he asked his friend, awkwardly pointing to the names with one hand as he attempted to keep the Map from rolling back up with the other.
When Hermione didn't answer immediately Ron glanced over at her, only to see that her eyes had suddenly grown quite large. Snatching the Map from his hand, she smacked the center of the parchment flat against the wall with her hands, holding it so that he could see.
"Ron--look!"
The red-haired wizard followed his eyes away from his brothers and Snape to the tip of his friend's fingernail, which rested somewhere within the hallways of the second floor's Left Wing. His mouth then dropped when he saw that it ever so clearly pointed to the name 'Harry.'.
"It can't be…" Ron said in a near-whisper, looking up at Hermione for an explanation.
"That's because it isn't," the young witch replied as she shook her head, a slight tremor to her voice. "It's his doppleganger."
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Alright, hope some of that was worth the wait. We'll call this short chapter, "How the Fanfic Writer got her Groove Back." More to come in the next installment, including some long-awaited Author's Notes, and "The Countess de Bathory: Why Dove Soap Just Wasn't Doing it for Her." If those sounded suspiciously like lecture titles, don't worry--I'm still trying to purge the last bit of schooling from my system, something which just might need an Exorcism after all. Hasta!
Oh, and since nobody got the importance of last chapter's title "The Proposition" being in a Harry Potter fic, I'll tell ya anyway: a movie called "The Proposition" was made starring Kenneth Branagh, who will be--you guessed it--Gilderoy Lockhart in the next movie!…ah, no one cares anyway… ~8]
Rolllllll Calllllll: Lady Foxfire! Raven! Allocin! Loopy! The Female Vampire Lestat! Tarawen! Iris! Zahrah Thomson-Radcliffe! Guess! Beccy! Amerkat! Mouse! Lili! Lady of Arundel! ArchArtist/Writer! Breea! Lassy D! Kim! Urania! Quoth the Raven! Melanie! Katma! Mel! Stonehenge! Agent 99! SiriusBPadfoot! Oceansun! Joey! AANNNDDD Psychochick! Yay!! ~8]